Machine for controlling railway-traffic-governing apparatus



June'9; 1925. I

W. C. M WHIRTER MACHINE FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRAFFIC GOVERNING APPARATUS Filed July 7, 1923 2 Sheets-sheet 1 1s A 1Q 20 H H 153i 000 ,ooecnmcfo] L I I u u A A i L UHL 1g 7 27 U U U L! 1 11 J U (J 1 I4 1 i4 ll JUUUJUJD UJUJUUUJ D I I 2 p l m an; g1] Q m w [1 3 w an] 1 @1 1 Q] k 15 I 2i 3. 2 z z 2 2 2 =1)? W 1 f li INVENTOR Z acaw/Wm M ATTORNEY June 9, 1925'. 1,540,852

w. c. MCWHIRTER MACHINE FOR CONTROLLING RAILWAY TRAFFIC GOVERNING APPARATUS Filed July '7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR I W C. 7144 WfiAAIZb,

BY M ATT RNEY 50 the locking bar.

Patented .lnne 9, 1925.

iJNITEZD STATES PATENT. ,OFFICEQf WILLIAM C. MGVJHIE'IER, F VJ'ILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH (in SIGNAL COMPANY, OF

POIRIATION PENNSYLVANTPL.

SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- MACHTNE FOB, CQNTROLLING RATLVJAYTRAFFIC-GOVERNING APPARATUS.

Application filed July 7, 1923. Serial No. 650,032.

To uZZ whom may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM G. M0-

Wrnnrnn, a citizen of the United States,

residing at l Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Jlachines for Controlling Railway-TrafiicGoverning Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for'controlling railway traffic governing apparatus, and particularly to machines of thefltype comprising levers for the mechanical opera tion of tratiic governing devices and other 1.; levers for the electrical control of traflic.

governing devices.

1 will describe one form of machine embodying my invention, and willthen point out the novel features thereof in claims.

:o In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a view showing .in front elevation one form of machine embodying my invention. Fig. i 2 is an end view, partly sectioned, showing the machine illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is 1.13 a detail view showing, on an increased scale,

the frame section G and associated parts of the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in each of the views.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character G designates a suitable framework in which are supported a plurality of mechanical levers A. Each of these levers is pivoted near its lower end at a and is adapted for the mechanical operation of a railway traffic governing device such as a railway switch. An interlocking bed B is also supported by the framework C and comprises a plurality of locking bars 1.

ti) llach lever is provided with a latch 2 for cooperating with a latch plate 3 to retain the lever A in the extreme positions of its stroke, and this latch operates a rocking link 4 one end of which is connected with a crank 5. This crank is rigidly fastened to a rotatable shaft 6 which is arranged tov operate one or more of the locking bars 1 by suitable means such as a segment gear 7 fixed to shaft 6 and meshing with a rack on The movements of each latch 2 are thus utilized to impart longitudinal motion to one of the locking bars.

Supported on framework C are a plurality of equally spaced upstanding legs D.

Extending between each two adjacent legs D and supported thereby is a front frame section G of cast iron or other suitable material. The cross section of this frame section is roughly channel-shaped with the web portions extending toward the. front of the machine. Each such frame section G is provided with a longitudinal, forwardly extending rib G which divides the frame section into two longitudinal compartments which are used to contaln certain apparatus wlnch I Wlll describe more 1ndeta1lhere1nafter. i

In theleft-hand portion of Fig. lthis apparatus is omitted from the drawing to show more clearly the configuration of frame section G. A plate E of the same height and length as frame section G extends across the back of the machine between each two legs D. Each frame section G and plate E is then seen to extend from the middle of one leg D to the middle of the adjacent leg 1). Each frame section G is fastened to the associated legs D by means of bolts 27 and each plate E is similarly, fastened to the associated leg D by means of bolts 28.

.Mounted on the frame section G. and

plate E are a plurality of electric controlling mechanisms, which I will term electric levers F. Since each lever F is separate and complete in and of itself it follows that only as many of these levers as are required for controlling the equipment need be mounted As shown in, the drawing this connection comprises a driver crank 11 rigidly attached to spindle J, a rod 12 operated by this driver, and a segmental gear 13 operated by rod 12 and meshing with a rack on one of the locking bars 1.

. The lower compartment of each frame section G contains indication lamps L which are used in connection with the electric levers'F, A's here shown' each lamp supported in a housing 16 which housing is in turn supported by a front plate P d with a t spi e-bea r 14 th ash the lamp ma be observed. The front plate 15 is secured to the frame G by means of screws, thus allowing the housing 16 to extend-into the lower compartment of frame section G.

Extending the lengtl'i of frame G and m'e'nt containing these bus bars is covered by a substantially flat sheet-of metal 20. The

arrangement of the'in'dication light 'L and the bus bars 18 are clearly indicated in Fig. 3; r v I WV-hen' an electric lever F is omitted, as indicated in the right hand section of Fig. 1,

the associated lamps L are also omitted and a blank sheet 'of metal is fastened to frame section G-as ,at- 21, Fig. 1, in place of the front plates 15v lamp housing l6.-

As stated hereinbefore, the legsD are of the corresponding equa'lly spaced, and each frame Gextends from the middle of one leg to the middle of an adjacent l'eg. It followsthat all of the sections ofthis frame may be identical, and so the frame may be made up of standard :--units comprising a frame section G and a back plate E of the same length and width. A nachine of any required size (number of levers). may, therefore,be constructed by using the suitable number of frame sections G, thus eliminating the necessity for the manufacture of aspecial section for each length'of machine. Furthermore, when a machine is to be enlarged, that is, when more mechanical levers are to be added, one or more sections are added to the framework C as 'usual, and itis then necessary to merely add a frame section G and back plate E for each additional unit or the framework C. I

Although I have herein shown and describedonly one form of machine embodying my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein, within the scope'of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having t'liusdescribed my invention, what I claim is: p r

, In an interlocking machine having electric levers, asuper-structure comprising a horizontal frame open at the front-and havingahoriZOntal rib (llVlCllIlg the frame into two horizontal conrpartnients located one directly above the other, bus bars in cm said compartment associated with the electrical portions of the machine, cover plates for the othercompartment having openings, and indicating lam'ps supported by said cover plates and located behind said openings.

2. In an interlocking machine having electrical levers, a super-structure comprising a horizontal frame open at the front and having a horizontal rib dividing the frame into two horizontal icoinpartn'ients located one directly above the other, bus bars in one said compartmentassociated with the electrical portions of the machine, and indicating lamps located in the other con'ipartment and associated with said electric levers.

In testimony whereof I my si nature.

WILLIAM G. 'BIOWHIRCTER. 

